"The landmark trial, which began last week with jury selection, could set a precedent for whether social media platforms are responsible for harming children. It's the first of a consolidated group of cases - from more than 1,600 plaintiffs, including over 350 families and over 250 school districts - scheduled to be argued before a jury in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Plaintiffs accuse the owners of Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snap of knowingly designing addictive products harmful to young users' mental health."
"Historically, social media platforms have been largely shielded by Section 230, a provision added to the Communications Act of 1934 that says internet companies are not liable for content users post. TikTok and Snap reached a settlement with a 20-year-old woman identified in court as K.G.M. ahead of the trial. The companies remain defendants in a series of similar lawsuits expected to go to trial this year."
"This first bellwether case centers on K.G.M., who was a minor at the time of the incidents outlined in her lawsuit. K.G.M. claims her early use of social media led to addiction and worsened her mental health problems. Her lawsuit alleges that social media companies made deliberate design choices to make their platforms more addictive to children for purposes of profit."
Los Angeles jurors are hearing a landmark bellwether trial alleging social media platforms harmed children through addictive product design. The consolidated cases include more than 1,600 plaintiffs, over 350 families and over 250 school districts, and name Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Snap as defendants. Plaintiffs contend that deliberate design choices increased addictiveness to boost profit and worsened minors' mental health. Section 230 has historically shielded platforms from liability for user content, but settlements and ongoing suits are testing that protection. Instagram head Adam Mosseri testified that platforms are not intentionally engineered to be addictive and acknowledged excessive use can be problematic while noting he is not a medical professional.
Read at NBC New York
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